NFL DFS game by game breakdown: Week 1
By Joe Metz
NFL DFS: Los Angeles Rams @ Carolina Panthers
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams enter 2019 in a bit of a different situation than they did last year, as Todd Gurley‘s workload is completely up in the air. Seeing that the Carolina Panthers allowed the 6th fewest fantasy points in the league against running backs last season, I’ll be taking a wait-and-see approach with Gurley and avoiding in cash games, but his salary is cheap enough where his upside is enticing in GPPs.
The trio of receivers for the Rams – Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks, and Cooper Kupp are where my interest lies, as the Panthers ranked 24th in the league in pass DVOA last season. Cooks is more of a home run threat, while Woods has the volume, but the Panthers ranked 5th in DVOA against WR1s last season, shifting my focus away from Woods. Kupp was on a torrid pace last season and could come criminally under-owned in GPPs given his return from ACL surgery. On top of that, the Panthers were dead last (32nd) in DVOA against #2 receivers last season, which means Kupp and Cooks could have an added ceiling.
Jared Goff makes for an enticing GPP play, as he should garner zero attention and has a fully healthy receiving core back. As mentioned above, the Panthers struggled in the passing game and Goff has a plethora of weapons at his disposal.
Cash Plays: none
GPP Plays: Goff, Kupp, Cooks, Gurley
Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton is coming off of off-season shoulder surgery and has two young receivers, DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel to lead his passing attack with. Since he’s coming off of the surgery, I’m hesitant to roll him out week 1 against a respectable Rams secondary. His rushing upside has also taken a step back with the emergence of Christian McCaffrey.
D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel both have upside in their own right. Samuel is lightning quick, while Moore possesses enough size to be a formidable red-zone threat. Much like Cam, however, I need to see how this offense shakes out before I feel confident targetting them.
McCaffrey is the one player that I will happily target here. He posted 10+ targets in 5 games last season while posting at least 8 targets in half of his games. Combine that with his 25-carry upside against a defense that ranked 23rd against the rush last season and you have a catalyst for cash games.
Cash Plays: McCaffrey
GPP Plays: none